The Vampire's Apprentice
by dozefallsdownthestairs
Summary: With newer, faster, more ruthless technology, vampires are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Offering his blood and his time to save a dying race seems almost like a joke to Alfred. He wouldn't have agreed if he hadn't seen those green eyes. USUK vampire AU
1. Chapter 1

With newer, faster, more ruthless technology, vampires are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Offering his blood and his time to save a dying race seems almost like a joke to Alfred. He wouldn't have agreed if he hadn't seen those green eyes. USUK vampire AU

 **It's almost Halloween. And I felt the need to get in the spirit with a strange story. Not necessarily scary, but strange. I've always liked this idea and I hope that you will too!**

 **The title won't make sense until later (or not at all), so don't worry about it too much. It sounds cool, right?**

 **This story may seem a bit confusing at first, but it's fairly simplistic, so I hope you'll read all the way through! Thanks for your time.**

 **Much love, doze.**

* * *

The drizzling damp of the sewers prompts Alfred to draw his trenchcoat more tightly around himself. "The refugees live here?" He asks his older cousin Matthew as they troop through the forgotten tunnels.

"Our group does." Matthew holds the flashlight up, peering carefully around the bend. His lank hair dangles about his face, unwashed and filthy. A heavy shooter hangs at his hip. "Other groups live in different places. We try not to keep them here too long. They're more susceptible to the damp than we are. We always try to rehabilitate as soon as possible."

"You make it sound like an enlivening side project," Alfred mutters. "How exactly do you... feed them, again?"

Matthew stops short, his odd purple eyes glowing in the dark. "What do you think, Alfred?" He jerks back his sleeve and shows the litter of small punctures. There must be hundreds. Alfred's stomach turns.

"You _let_ them do that to you?"

"We get medical blood when we can," Matthew says coldly, "But our hospital man has been compromised. We can't let them starve."

"No, I guess not." Alfred falls silent. Comprised is a nice way to put arrested and beheaded for assisting a creature of the night. "Matthew, I didn't agree to anything. I don't know what you're expecting from me, but I..."

"I'm aware, Alfred. I only want you to meet them. I know you think I'm crazy for joining up with these people, but they're really no different from you and me.'

"Okay," Alfred says uncomfortably. Their feet make sickening noises as they troop through the goo. Alfred can feel it oozing even through his boots. "Matthew?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you keep them from hurting you?"

Matthew stops just at the beginning of a brightly lit tunnel. Alfred almost expects him to say it's a myth propagated by the government, that vampires actually aren't dangerous. He looks back with a grim look on his face, his eyes sad. "Most of them won't hurt you," he whispers, "We try not to let them get hungry enough to consider it. But people have died for the cause, Alfred."

Alfred feels bile at the back of his throat. "Don't you think that's a little sick? You're risking your lives to help these people when they could so easily turn on you? Hell, the government's at your door like everyday of your life, Matt. Wouldn't it be easier to just turn them in?"

"Perhaps, it would be less trouble." Matthew mutters. "But I don't think it would be easier. Why don't you come meet them?"

Reluctantly, Alfred follows his cousin into the warmth of a large underground cavern. The sewage seems to have been redirected to other channels. The filthy smell is less obvious. There are flimsy old hospital beds with moldy sheets that line the curved walls. In the very center, a large fire pit crackles and a handful of humans crowd around it roasting hotdogs. Alfred's eyes nervously trail from there, to the monsters on the fringes.

The vampires are obvious by their mannerisms. Alfred has seen enough propaganda on television to point them out without trying. They look human enough, but often they move too fast and they stay notoriously far away from the light in the center. Even with each other, they don't appear to be socializing. Their eyes glow out of the dark corners, the first to notice the loud entrance of the newcomers.

"Matthew," A loud beaming young man bucks up considerably at his cousin approaches. "We were starting to worry that the old gov's ghoulies had got ya, haha!" His wild blonde hair is stringy with dirt and his face covered in patchy stubble. Yet his brilliant white teeth light up the room.

Matthew grunts as the man pulls him into a quick embrace. Alfred gets the odd sense that they really were worried about whether Matthew would return. "Thanks, Mathias," he grunts, turning towards Alfred.

"Who's this?" A quiet voice from the dark makes Alfred's skin crawl. A gaunt looking vampire steps softly into the circle of light, eyes a sharp crystal blue. His blonde hair is the best kept of everybody's and curls lightly at his shoulders.

Matthew sees him and smiles. Alfred watches in shock as his cousin steps forward and pulls the _creature_ into an embrace. "Francis," he sighs. "That's my cousin, Alfred, the one I told you about."

"Ah, so you convinced him," Francis watches him over Matthew's shoulder, eyes unreadable. His long thin fingers hold Matthew's hips in a way that makes Alfred even more uncomfortable.

"Oh, is he our new blood man?" chimes in a Chinese man near the fire. "I'm starting to run out of bandages, honestly." Blood is dripping down from a pair of puncture marks on his arm. Dozens of other little holes have scabbed over nearby. Alfred wonders if he can keep from being sick.

"No," Matthew pulls back from Francis, giving Alfred an apologetic smile. "He's just here to say hi, right now. Of course, if he's up for it, I think he'd be a perfect rehabilitation candidate."

"Oh dear, one of us will be getting out of here, I suppose," Francis casts a smirk back into the dark. All Alfred can make of it are shifting shadows. Francis seems the only one brave enough to venture out. "I doubt it will be me."

"Don't whine," Matthew swats him, almost playfully, before sighing.

Mathias gives a sigh too. "Yeah, that whole rehabilitated in a year scheme has kinda gone to the trash."

"Wh-what do you mean by rehabilitated?" Alfred finds his voice, feeling extremely self-conscious as all eyes, seen and unseen, come to rest on him.

"By god, did you tell him anything, Matthew?" The Chinese man snorts.

"Yes, how can he be a capable candidate if he doesn't even know?" Francis inquires, a hint of incredulity slipping into his manners. When he bites his lip, Alfred nearly flinches to see the pointy teeth. Damn all those bed time stories his father used to tell him.

"Come on, guys," Matthew holds up his hands, coming around to swing an arm over Alfred's shoulders. "He may not look like much, but he's AO5 certified to carry. He has his own place in Devil's Gap and no government official would suspect a thing."

"Why is that?" Francis asks, looking unimpressed.

"Because his father- my uncle- is-

"The head of Hunting Division," Mathias and the Chinese man whisper in unison.

"That's brilliant, mate!" Mathias comes galloping over to slap Alfred on the shoulder. "Welcome to the party, friend!"

"I... I'm just here to visit right now," Alfred murmurs uncertainly.

"Well, visit we shall. Come on out here fellas! We've got a prime candidate!" Mathias shouts boldly into the dark. At first there is only silence, but like the dangers they are, the vampires seem to slowly merge out of nowhere. Soon, they're surrounded by a small group of about twenty. Alfred doesn't like the fact that he's trapped in their circle. They obviously outnumber the humans. He'll have to ask Matthew why he thought that was a good idea.

"I'm not even up for rehabilitation anymore," grouses an irritable boy with an Italian accent. He can't be more than 17. His pointy teeth flash when he talks. "Fucking goddamn lived here for half my natural life."

"Come on, Lovi! You don't even remember your natural life," chirps another strikingly similar Italian boy with a teasing grin.

"Well, it just helps to fucking know who's even a fucking candidate," Lovino growls, staring sullenly about. "We've been here for two years. Who's up first, Williams?"

There's a general rustle and murmur of agreement in the group. All eyes on Matthew. Matthew, who has returned to his place at Francis' side, only gives a tired shrug. "I don't know who's next in line. If we did it the proper way, we'd find someone to match Alfred. We'll need a credible disguise. But... honestly?" Matthew shrugs again. "I'm leaving this one to you guys. Who needs out the worst?"

Alfred isn't much liking the democracy here. He hasn't agreed to anything yet, after all.

He hears the soft whispers of voices around the circle. Francis doesn't join in with the talking. Judging by the arm around Matthew's waist, he seems content where he is. Alfred has never known humans and vampires to be affectionate. It's true. His father is the head of Hunting Division, and particularly the Extinction Project of 1999. Whereby, it became illegal on US soil (as it already was in Europe) to be a vampire. The Hunting Division was set up solely to investigate vampire cases and to execute known vampires.

Of course, Alfred had known that secret groups like this existed to save the species. He had even suspected for awhile that Matthew was part of one. He isn't sure how he feels about it, to be perfectly honest. As the son of the head of HD, it was nearly impossible for him to have any interactions with vampires, except to wear their teeth as a necklace in fifth grade.

He had thought for a long time that vampires ought to be able to take care of themselves. Yet, as he looks around this battered group of specimens, he realizes how true the claims of victory of the war on vampires happen to be. They all seem rather hollow-faced, skinny and gaunt. Their teeth are still noticeably long and frightening, but other than that, they seem to huddle together like a beaten pack of wolves. There are only so many places they can hide. Alfred knows his father would laugh to see them squatting in their own filth.

It becomes clear after awhile that an argument has broken out. Apparently, deciding who gets to return to the world up there is a large matter. Alfred wonders how long some of them have been stuck down here.

Matthew steps forward to break up the fight, shoving two of them off of each other. "Obviously, I had put more faith in you than you deserved," He berates the group at large, crossing his arms angrily. "Remember. Returning to the outside world is a privilege and a dangerous one. If you cannot hold your tempers and hide your teeth, you'll never see it again. That is the reason why some of you have been here so long."

"Well, that and no one is stupid enough to host a vampire with HD breathing down their necks," hisses an angry voice from the corner. It's one of the vampires who had been fighting. His red eyes host a hostile gleam.

"I'm well aware," Matthew sighs, looking a bit defeated. "How about this? Alfred can decide who he takes."

Alfred's eyes widen. "I didn't say I would-

"If you can convince him," Matthew adds with almost an evil smile. Francis smirks too. Alfred can see where he learned it from.

When someone leaps forward to shake his hand, Alfred nearly jumps backward into the fire. "Hi, I'm Feliciano and this is my brother Lovi!" The other young Italian boy blathers excitedly. "It's such a wonder getting to meet you! How strange it must be to be the son of HD and support the vampires! Please tell us about it!"

Alfred stares, feeling his mouth go dry. The group is closing in on him like a pack of wolves. "It's alright. I haven't told anybody."

"Well, you better have fucking not. Or we'd be fucking compromised!" Lovino snaps at his brother's side.

"You mean have our heads chopped off, right? I don't see any use calling it what it's not." The red-eyed one smiles brilliantly. "I'm Gilbert and I think we could get along nicely."

Alfred nods tentatively. By the end of so many discussions, his hands are freezing cold from shaking theirs. He looks down to see that his fingers are blue. Now that they've all introduced themselves, they seem to have lost interest him and all return to their spots in the dark. The humans and Francis are reclined near the fire, talking politics.

Alfred scurries over to join them.

"I don't know," Yao the Chinese man is saying. "We need a hospital guy pretty soon. Cuz we're all stretching ourselves pretty thin."

"I know, I know," Matthew groans. "I'm looking, okay. I have to move carefully up there or I'll give away our whole operation. It's hard."

"We understand, Matthew," Francis murmurs, absently stroking at his hair. "No one would dare speak out against you."

"You wouldn't. Probably because you're getting extra helpings." retorts Gilbert from somewhere.

Francis only answers with a tepid growl.

"Well, there is urgency," Mathias pushes on earnestly. "Lukas is sick!"

"And Emil."

"Kirkland, too." Matthew chimes in heavily.

Francis snorts. "Don't put too much weight in that, Matthew. Kirkland has been sick since the dawn of time. I heard they changed him when he was sick. He's bound to be haunted by that old ghost pain for all eternity."

"It's not that, Francis," Matthew lowers his voice. "He's lost weight. He's not taking enough."

Francis snorts again. "It's melodrama. I know him well, you forget."

"Well, he has a nasty head cold."

"Oh, poor Artie's got the sniffles." Gilbert steps suddenly into the light, wiping at his dripping nose. "Who doesn't at this point? You'd think he'd at least be polite enough to say hi to the fresh meat." He kicks his foot at Alfred, who gives him a sullen scowl.

Francis snorts, "Please, Arthur's been here longer than any of us. I'd say he's a fixture."

"How long has he been here?" Alfred asks. The most he's heard is five years.

"Ten years, I think?" Francis glances at Gilbert for confirmation, who nods.

"Ten?" Alfred shudders at the thought of living in a sewer for ten years.

"Don't feel too sorry for him," Gilbert mutters, plopping down too close for comfort. Alfred nonchalantly leans away from him. "He's a nasty piece of work. He'll probably die down here. Speaking of that, do I get mine today?" He flashes his teeth purposefully wide, making Alfred flinch.

"Tomorrow." Matthew answers, checking his watch. "I'm going to check on them. Come with me, Alfred."

"Where are we going?" Alfred scurries to keep up with him as Matthew leads him down another branching set of tunnels.

"Sick room, or something like it. When they aren't feeling good, they tend to want to be alone. So we set this up."

"Oh." Alfred pants as he jogs along.

"So what do you think so far?"

"It's not as bad as I thought. This place still gives me the heebeegeebees, but they aren't like I thought they'd be."  
"Reconsidering rehabilitation then?" Matthew flashes him a hopeful grin.

"Matt, I don't even know what that is."

"Basically, you take one of them with you. Like vampire adoption," Matthew chuckles at his own joke. "It's not good for them to be stuck down here so long. If we can get them back up there, it's best for everybody."

"What do you mean it's not good?" Alfred's brow furrows.

"Well, I'm about to show you." Matthew stops outside a round wooden door with a serious look on his face. "If they stay down here too long, they get sick. The inadequate blood supply and the damp don't do them much good."

"But I thought they liked the dark?"

"Sure, but they also like the moonlight and the trees and the fresh air. They are alive, Alfred."

"That's not what I've been taught." Alfred mutters, earning himself a tired grin from Matthew. "I still don't get it. I just take one of them home, and what?"

"Well, generally, they're unhealthy." Matthew shifts, tracing the butt of his gun with his finger. "We do our best here, but we're overcrowded. It's unlikely they've been feeding as much as they should or sleeping as much. We can't give them all individual attention, and frankly they'll only accept special attention under certain circumstances."

"Like with you and Francis?" Alfred asks curiously. A light blush colors Matthew's cheeks.

"Something like that." He agrees with a nervous laugh. "They're proud people. They don't want to seem weak. Even after all that's happened."

"So you just take in a vampire, is that what you're telling me? You think I'd be good at that?"

Matthew laughs. "There's more to it. You don't just take one in. You get them back on their feet and find a place for them in society. It's unlikely they'll be able to leave you since you are their source of food. They're not stupid enough to go hunting random people, because of the new technology. But they need someone willing to provide it."  
Alfred runs a hand down his forearm nervously. "Doesn't that hurt?"

Matthew shakes his head. "Less than giving blood for Red Cross. I promise, and they're very gentle. They're thankful for it."

"Wait! What's to stop them from just draining me dry?"

"Nothing, I guess. But it's rare even for an exceptionally hungry vampire to completely drain his victim, especially these days. Back then it was something that royalty did at feasts. The picture of extravagance. In fact, if you allow them to drink everyday, that'll be way more than they're used to." Matthew murmurs thoughtfully. "We have them on a once a week cycle."

"They can survive on that?"

"Barely," Matthew smiles tightly. "The sick ones need more than that, too. It's why I'm always tired, I think."

"Geez, I would think so." Alfred swallows nervously. "So getting rid of one would be really helpful?"

"Extremely," Matthew nods. "It wouldn't seem like much but it would eliminate one feeding from our calendar."

Alfred bites his lips. "How much do the sick ones have to?"

Matthew chuckles, reaching to lay a hand on the doorknob. "It depends, but we try to keep it to every other day. If not, they start dying."  
"Vampires can just die?" Alfred asks in shock.

"Not what you've been told, right?" Matthew stares hard at the floor. "It's the beauty of this whole Extinction act really. They're removing the food source. Of course, they'd die without food."

"But wouldn't they get desperate and just start killing people?"

"Some, maybe." Matthew shrugs. "Have you ever seen humans starve, Alfred? They could eat each other or do drastic things, but most of them don't."

"I never thought of it that way," Alfred whispers grimly.

Matthew nods again, pushing open the door. The sick room is much cozier than the main cavern. Several battery powered miniature space heaters sit in the corners. The covers on the beds aren't as moldy, but have just as many holes. Three vampires are there. Two pairs of bright eyes are cutting in the dim light. But the third one has the pillow pulled over his head with white knuckles.

"Hello," Matthew greets in a soft voice, ushering Alfred in so that he can close the door. "This is Alfred. He's visiting today."

"For rehabilitation?" asks a pale blonde boy, strange eyes gleaming in the dark.

"Hopefully," Matthew gives him a warm smile. "Alfred has just been talking to the others."

"Can I go first?" another blonde boy interrupts, leaning forward impatiently. Matthew smiles at him.

"Sure, Emil." He rolls up his sleeve and perches on the edge of the bed. The boy takes his arm carefully and then slides his fangs through the skin like butter.

"You look like Matthew," the pale one mutters.

"I do." Alfred nods. "What's your name?"

"Lukas." He answers, looking bored. "That is Emil. Am I next?"

"Yes," Matthew answers, giving Emil a prompting push. The vampire reluctantly withdraws his bloody fangs, licking quickly at his lips.

"Sorry," He pants. His hollow cheeks are much worse than those outside.

Matthew smiles sadly. "It's alright." He holds his arm out to Lukas, who laps the blood with his tongue before carefully inserting his teeth into the same puncture holes.

"Are you going to feed Arthur, too?" Emil asks, his eyes shining brighter now as he reclines back into his pillows.

"If he'll allow it." Matthew murmurs. Alfred notices his brow furrow.

Once Lukas is done, the other two vampires watch Matthew curiously as he goes over to the third. "Arthur," Matthew says softly, laying a hand on the man's shoulder. "Are you awake?"

"How could I not be? You're so bloody loud." Though his voice is muffled by the pillow, Alfred recognizes a strong English accent.

"Arthur, I think you need to feed." Matthew says it seriously this time.

Arthur groans. "I'm fine. I just want to rest. Must you trouble me so often?"

"You haven't fed for two weeks, Arthur. This isn't good."

"And I'm fine," Arthur snarls, voice decidedly nasty. He actually growls, livid and loud, when Matthew jerks the pillow from him. Alfred is startled by his sharp green eyes, piercing and dangerous like acid. However, just as quickly, the danger is lost on him as he takes in the extremely hollowed cheeks and the receded eyes. As he sits up, Alfred can see the outline of every bone in his body through a thin t-shirt. He's starving.

He opens his mouth to berate Matthew even further, but a hacking cough sends him into a fit and he turns abruptly away. When he's finished, he manages a sulky glare. "You're in no fit state to feed me. Look at yourself, Williams."

It is true. Matthew is swaying slightly back and forth, looking on the verge of passing out. "Nonsense." Matthew grumbles. "I'm fine." He holds his bloodied arm out like a delicacy, but Arthur turns his nose up at it.

"You need to feed." Matthew says, beginning to sound frustrated. "I won't let you sit here and starve."

"I'm fine." Arthur spits the words furiously. "I've been around longer than you've been born, boy. I know a bloodless human when I see one. Leave me in peace."

Matthew scowls in disgust. "I'm sending one of the others in here."

"And I'll be sending them right back out. You're all too bloodless. Are you looking to kill yourselves?"

"Are you?" Matthew loses his temper.

Arthur only snorts. "Get some rest, Williams. I'll fight with you another day."

Matthew whirls on his foot, heading for the door angrily. "Come on, Alfred."

At his name, Arthur turns eyes on him for the first time, expressionless. Alfred feels an odd jolt in his stomach, looking down and seeing the chiseled bones of Arthur's chest and arms. "I'll do it." He says, without even thinking about what he's saying.

"What?" Matthew looks back at him in disbelief.

"Sure," Alfred nods jumpily, pushing up his trenchcoat sleeve. "I've got more than enough blood. That should help you guys out a little bit."

Matthew's eyes flick over to Arthur, whose lip has begun to curl in disgust. "There was a day when I could get my own food and didn't have to be coddled by such breast-feeders."

"Come on," Alfred says nervously. He takes a tentative step forward, holding his arm out like a slab of meat.

Arthur watches him with hard eyes. "You're here for rehabilitation, boy. Save yourself."

"I don't know who I'm taking yet," Alfred points out, feeling oddly mesmerized by Arthur's harsh features. "And I've never done it before." He takes another step forward. "I could at least do with some practice, so I know what I'm getting into." Indeed, what was he getting into? Approaching a vampire unarmed like this? His father would hit him upside the head.

Arthur licks his lips and he hears Matthew give a soft gasp. Just as quickly, Arthur snarls at him, "Get out, Williams. I don't need your commentary."

Matthew doesn't move, though. And Arthur has already forgotten about him. He holds out a skeletal hand to Alfred, a strange gleam in his eyes. Alfred takes the final step forward and shivers at Arthur's ice cold touch. He traces the unharmed skin with his fingers before looking up in confusion.

"You've never been bitten." It's not a question.

"Never." Alfred agrees.

"Why are you here then? The only people who return are those who have been bitten and spared. Who see what we are." He sounds tired, like he might just fall asleep sitting up.

Alfred slowly sinks to sit on the bed. "I've heard about nothing but vampires since the day I was born, but I've never met one until today."

"How is that?" Arthur whispers, laying his thumb very carefully against the major vein in Alfred's arm.

Alfred suddenly finds his throat blocked. He doesn't want to tell. Arthur's emaciated body, the hollowed cheeks of the others, there's nothing monstrous about them, except these things. "My father's the head of HD." He whispers, hanging his head in shame.

"Hunting Division?" Arthur's tone is unreadable. "And you are here with us?"

"I..." Alfred forces himself to look up and meet those green eyes. "I thought they might be wrong."

"Indeed," Arthur says, his lip curling up a bit. He swallows, looking down at Alfred's arm with suddenly hungry eyes. Alfred is shocked to see it. He had been so composed before.

"You can." Alfred prompts when he hesitates. "I don't mind."

"Then, I suppose there is no excuse," Arthur says lightly and raises Alfred's arm to his lips. It is a strange feeling. The pinching of his teeth going in is far from pleasant, but the actual sucking hardly feels like anything. If he didn't know better, he'd just say Arthur had kissed his arm. Arthur makes a hungry gurgled sort of noise and a few drops of blood bloom on the bedspread.

Matthew takes a step forward warily.

But Alfred isn't worried. He closes his eyes, imagining what his father would say. The cool edges of the vampire's face and his freezing hands clutch tightly, holding him still. He relaxes. Strange. This might even be called pleasant. Arthur is noisy compared to the other two, but Alfred attributes this to his hunger. Two weeks is a long time not to eat anything.

He reaches up with his eyes still closed, using his other hand to comb back Arthur's hair. There's fuzziness beginning to touch the edges of his vision, Arthur slurping desperately is the only sound that he hears. And then suddenly...

"Stop. Stop! Arthur, I said stop!" Matthew's big warm hands are wrenching them apart. Alfred's eyes fly open and he nearly tumbles off the bed. His vision is full of stars.

"You've had enough," Matthew is saying angrily. "More than enough. Control yourself."

Arthur's eyes are wild, his pupils dilated to mere slits. "I'm sorry," he says, panting. His tongue flies across his lips getting the last specks. "It has been awhile." He looks at Alfred carefully. "I apologize."

"No, no, it's fine," Alfred says dizzily as Matthew hurriedly bandages his arm. "They say... they say you've been here for 10 years. Is that true?"

Arthur, still licking his lips, swallows heavily. "Unfortunately." He catches sight of the spots of blood on the comforter and stares at them longingly.

"I'm sorry about that. Do you... do you ever plan on leaving?"

"On my own?" Arthur snorts. "Even I am not so reckless."

"No, like rehabitation or whatever it's called."

Arthur stares at him. "It has never been offered to me before."

Alfred feels Matthew freeze with the gauze. "Alfred..." he says warningly, but they did leave the choice up to him.

"Do you want to?" Alfred asks. "I'd take you."

The shock on Arthur's face is enough to hurt. Evidently, he's never been particularly desirable to candidates before.

"Me?" He asks. "Why me?"

Alfred shrugs. "Why not?"

There is a heavy silence before Arthur looks away in embarrassment. "I'm sick."

"So?" Alfred asks flatly.

Arthur looks at him in bewilderment.

"This would be better for you." He feels Matthew tie the bandage just slightly too tight for comfort. But he's made up his mind. "You could sleep in an actual bed and feed everyday and get outside sometimes. Wouldn't that make you feel better?"

"I..." Judging by the way Arthur's eyes have already started to shine a bit brighter after the meal, Alfred would take it as a yes. "Why me?" He says again, softer, and even Matthew doesn't have the heart to interrupt when Arthur looks so forlorn.

"Well, if anything you have seniority," Alfred points out. "Ten years is a long enough sentence, I'd say. And I like you the most."

"Like me?" Arthur asks as if it's a paradox.

Alfred nods and actually laughs, earning himself an eyebrow raise from Matthew. "Sure, you make me laugh. So do we have a deal?"

"Oh," Arthur stares at his hands. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Alfred beams.

Arthur sees his smile and actually blushes. Matthew's eyebrows disappear as they raise so high.

"Okay," Arthur agrees.

"Awesome," Alfred smiles, leaning back next to him in the bed and beginning to count on his fingers. "So let's come up with a good back story. You want to be my uncle from England or my friend? I think friend is more versatile. Plus, my dad would totally know you weren't my uncle."

As Alfred continues to blather on carelessly, Matthew stands quietly and heads for the door. He's never seen Arthur this way before. Alfred has always been a bit careless and talkative and wild. It's why he thought Alfred would be good for the job in the first place. Things tended to get drab down here without a little pep.

But for him to convince Arthur to drink was a bit surprising. Arthur had become increasingly more frustrating over time. Matthew got the sense that he'd resigned himself to a hospital bed in the sewer for the rest of his life. Alfred's wild proposition had completely thrown him. He hadn't even thought of Arthur as someone Alfred would be interested in housing. Francis was sadly right. Arthur was basically a fixture.

Of course, it would probably be a lot of trouble to get Arthur settled with Alfred. He was sick, sicker than Alfred realized. They all made jokes about it, because it was basically a permanent condition and it was better than being depressed. He ought to have stopped Alfred from asking, but...

Until right now, Alfred had been sheepish and scared. It was like a switch had flipped. And Arthur... well, there was a lot he could say about Arthur, but it had shocked him to see the hope in his eyes. That someone would be willing to take him aboveground after all this time. Matthew just didn't have the heart to shut it down then.

It would require a lot of work, but if his cousin's smile was anything to go by, things were already looking brighter. Matthew had always suspected Alfred would be an invaluable ally in their operation.

"I'm telling you, Arthur," Alfred is saying happily to the man beside him, fast on his way to dreamworld. His full meal is dragging him under. "I think you'll really like it up there."

"I think so too." Arthur agrees quietly, letting his eyes slip closed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys!**

 **Here is chapter two! I'm really going to try to update this weekly throughout October, just fyi.**

 **Thanks so much for all your reviews and support. You guys rock, much love, doze.**

* * *

Alfred huddles up close to the fire in what he has affectionately christened HQ of their secret society. After his decision to take on Arthur, there had been quite a lot of debate amongst the others on the best way to get it done. At the moment, Arthur is too sick to get around and certainly too sick to act a part. Alfred had easily agreed to stay on for two weeks or so and get Arthur back on his feet.

Feeding everyday will set Arthur on the right path, and Alfred has plenty of blood to give. The others are just thankful to have one less. Soon, Alfred and Arthur will be able to get out of this dungeon and up into the real world. Namely the town Devil's Gap. Alfred had reluctantly asked why Matthew thought it was a good idea to bring a vampire to one of the most propaganda-littered towns in the U.S. Matthew had smiled tightly and told him that they didn't have much choice. It was the nearest town to their sewer home, and it was the farthest he could venture to select recruits.

It depresses Alfred a little bit to realize how awfully things are going. Matthew is desperately searching for a hospital man to hook them up with some blood bags. Though, he, Yao and Mathias have been doing their best, it's becoming next to impossible to keep up with the growing demand.

"What do you mean growing demand?" Alfred asks, late one night as they roast s'mores around the fire pit.

"Vampires hear about us," Yao murmurs. "They come for food and protection. We used to have only about half this number."

Matthew nods, his head in Francis' lap. His face is illuminated strangely by the blue screen of his laptop as he types. No doubt scouring the underground internet hubs for a hookup. "We're trying to get in touch with some other protective groups, but it's hard to do with Hunting Division lurking around every corner. We'd like to send some of ours to a less-burdened group, but so far everyone we've talked to is running low on volunteers and blood."

"Propaganda's doing its job, then," surmises Alfred grimly, staring at his dirty boots.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it easy to turn them away." Mathias bites his lip. "They all come in starving to death. Some of them come in with these gory injuries. I used to work as a delivery man. I don't know jackshit about first aid."

"Yao used to be a surgeon, though," Matthew chimes in. "So we've got some knowledge. I've got EMT training, too and I'm teaching Mathias."

"It doesn't help all that much," Yao mutters. "I studied human medical care. There's barely a recognized work out there about vampire treatment. And even if there was, it's impossible to get my hands on as it's all been illegal for some time."

"Possession a ten year prison sentence," Alfred rattles off knowingly. "So do you two stay down here all the time?"

Mathias nods. "Mattie's our aboveground man. But we have to stay to make sure no one's found us out and none of the vamps are dying."

Francis snorts. "You act as if we're animals."

"If we left you all alone with the blood bags, you would be," Yao mutters, earning himself a growl.

"You would understand if you were starving," says Francis somewhat petulantly.

"We're trying to help," Matthew mutters anxiously. "But it wouldn't do anybody any good if we were rash. As it is, we've got Alfred now. And I think that's helpful."

"Are you really taking Arthur?" Francis turns curious eyes on him. The subject had become one of particular gossip among the fanged folk that lurked in the corners.

"I plan on it," Alfred mutters, still getting used to the idea himself. "I don't think spending anymore time down here would be good for him. He's really sick."

"Mhhm." Francis cocks his head.

"But I want to help out here, too." Alfred insists earnestly, receiving a grateful look from Matthew. "I was thinking about your blood situation and I might be able to help."

"What do you mean?" Yao asks.

"I'm not for certain yet, but my dad's doing a major promotion thing for victims of vampire attacks."

A large groan choruses amongst the group, and he even hears a couple of the vampires snicker in the dark.

"What?" He asks, dumbfounded. He hadn't even gotten to his point.

"Yes, because there are so many vampire attacks they need a whole hospital ward for them," Francis mutters with such heavy sarcasm, that Matthew starts to chuckle.

"Or a whole advertising campaign," Yao rolls his eyes.

"I mean, look at me! I've been fucking mauled," Mathias holds up one of his scabbed arms, earning him several appreciative laughs from the shadows.

"Vampire attacks hardly ever happen, Alfred," Matthew explains at his incredulous look. "If the government would publish the actual statistic, everyone would know that."

"Oh." Alfred blinks, filing that away for future use. "Well that wasn't where I was going with it, but it's actually a really great opportunity for us."

"How so?" Francis challenges.

Alfred grins evilly. "Well, my father was thinking about doing a promotional _blood_ drive. Traveling across major cities and gaining support for those who had been attacked. Being his son, I am in the optimal position to push him one way or the other and to accompany him. I think, if you could get me the people, I could place them all throughout the US, or even just in Devil's Gap, and we could get enough blood for awhile."

"That's brilliant, mate," Mathias leans forward eagerly. "Damn, you made a good choice, Williams."

Matthew is biting his lip. "It is good, but I don't know if I have that many people. There's a couple rehab vampires that we might be able to use. They blend in pretty well."

"No vampires," Alfred shakes his head immediately.

"What? Why?"

"The new tech, duh." Alfred looks at them all incredulously. "You haven't heard of it?"

"What new tech?" Feli emerges suddenly from the shadows, followed closely by his brother. His eyes are big and wide and innocent. Several of the others sneak out curiously. Alfred feels his stomach sink.

"The kind that can distinguish between vampires and humans? Like a scantron? It won't hurt you, but it'll immediately point you out. They've started putting them at the entrances of major events. Last time the president spoke ten vampires were caught and executed on the premises."

"We haven't heard about this," Yao says seriously.

"It hasn't been on the news," Mathias adds.

"They're keeping it on the down low," Alfred murmurs. "So they can keep using it so effectively. Last my father told me 400 caught and killed."

"400?" whispers Francis and the number crackles about the quickly gathering group.

"Yeah, it's why we have to be so careful. It's also why I was wondering why you were trying to rehabilitate in Devil's Gap since it is the HQ of Hunting Division for the Northeast United States."

"Will they be putting these devices up everywhere?" asks Feli in a small voice.

Alfred gives him a grim smile. "No, they cost about as much as the moon. But if anywhere, Devil's Gap is a prime place for them. Especially around Hunting Division HQ. They're awfully paranoid. Luckily, from what I've heard, the devices are damn expensive and have only been used on a small scale at very major events."

"Still. 400?" points out Francis, and once again whispers crackle through their ranks.

"Things just keep getting worse, don't they?" Mathias groans, sprawling on his back lazily.

Alfred doesn't know what to say, so he gets to his feet. "I'll be back later."

It's getting late, but he hasn't fed Arthur today. He's been so caught up in conversation with the others that he hasn't even thought of it. The situation is absolutely dire from this side of things. Alfred was long used to looking at it from Hunting Division's point of view. But out here, they're dropping like flies.

He knocks on the sick room door, before letting himself in. Emil and Lukas are both asleep in the pitch black. But Arthur's brilliant green eyes glow suddenly in the dark. He feels his way to the bed finding one of the small lamps on the floor and flipping it on. Arthur recoils from the soft glow at first, his pupils contracting violently before he gets used to it.

"I thought you'd forgotten," He breathes.

Alfred grins. "I wouldn't forget." He slides up onto the side of the bed with Arthur, rolling up his sleeve carefully. "Have you been sleeping better?" He asks.

"Much," Arthur says, reaching impatiently for his arm.

Alfred laughs, "Careful. Matthew told you not to overdo it. Even vampires can get sick from too much at once."

Arthur snorts. "Tell him to fuck off, will you? You'd think he'd been around longer than me with that attitude."

Alfred rolls his eyes, gritting his teeth for the momentary unpleasantness of Arthur sinking his teeth in. Matthew tells him that a minute is usually enough time for them to get their fill. So he counts the seconds in his head, letting his other hand rub absently at Arthur's wild hair.

It's strange. It really is. He had always been under the impression that getting your blood sucked was a horribly traumatizing, violent experience. It's not particularly pleasant getting pinned with Arthur's teeth every day, but there are worse things. Matthew is right. The vampires are gentle about it. Alfred gets the sense that they could rip and tear and claw if they wanted to. But they don't. Matthew says it's because they're grateful. Alfred agrees, but he can't help wondering if it's innate as well. As he watches Arthur drink, killing machine and blood-thirsty animal aren't the first words to come to mind.

Arthur is filthy, just like the rest of the sewer's inhabitants. Alfred thinks he would enjoy a bath with some warm water, if vampires did enjoy that sort of thing. The others think that he's just been feeding Arthur and leaving, but often he lingers afterwards to talk. Arthur seems rather lonely in the sick room and it only takes a little prompting to get him gabbing.

As a minute goes by, Alfred watches Arthur continue to drink sloppily. All of the other vampires tend to stop themselves, but Arthur just always seems so hungry. Alfred lets another 30 seconds go by and then another. When blurry edges start to move in on his vision, he gives Arthur's head a push. Arthur dislodges his fangs obediently, but without Matthew there to keep him in line, he laps unashamedly at the gushing blood from the puncture holes.

"Hey, I've got to bandage it," Alfred says, giving him another push which he resists. "Arthur." Finally he sighs, swiping his fingers across his wound and coating them in blood. He rubs it all on his other hand and pushes Arthur's head that direction while he works to bandage the wound, accidentally getting blood in Arthur's hair.

Arthur licks his fingers clean and finally looks up. In the dim light, Alfred can see he's embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "Your blood... it's very good."

Alfred blinks. "Doesn't all blood taste the same?"

Arthur snorts, "Hardly."

Alfred sighs, "Well, I'm glad I don't taste terrible, I guess."

"Not that I have much room to be picky," Arthur mutters.

Arthur ducks his head down in such a way that it exasperates the shadows of his cheeks. Alfred frowns uncomfortably. "I didn't realize vampires cared about what kind of blood they drank. The pictures on TV are always big, bloody, raving psychos with fangs."

"Most of us are a bit battered by this point," Arthur allows.

"I would say," Alfred smiles tiredly. "So we agreed, you're my friend from England."

"From Manchester," Arthur nods, settling down wearily on his side. "What disease have I got?"

"I don't think we've gotten that far," Alfred bites his lip, reaching to brush the blood out of Arthur's hair. He offers it on his fingers, putting his hand near Arthur's chin. Arthur's talented tongue swipes out to clean it and he rumbles contentedly. Alfred's lips quirk. Something he has noticed about vampires, they tend to make all manner of funny noises when they're happy or upset.

"What do you think then?" Arthur asks through a wide yawn. His fangs glisten wetly in the lantern light.

"Cancer would probably work the best. It can explain why you're inside a lot."

A strange look crosses Arthur's features, making his green eyes seem suddenly larger.

"What's the matter?" Alfred asks, combing through his hair without thinking. He isn't sure what makes him so touchy towards Arthur, but the man always looks on the point of starving to death. Whatever small comfort he can offer, he does without thinking.

"Nothing. I just... I had cancer when I was human before I was changed."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Alfred says quickly.

"No, you only surprised me. That's fine. I'll say I have leukemia. I think that has a nice irony to it." He delivers a pointy-tooth smile, looking quite exhausted.

"Alright, I think that's far enough for tonight. I'll leave you to sleep." Alfred stands, reaching to turn off the lantern. In the pitch black, he can still see Arthur's glowing eyes.

"I don't mind you talking with me," he says in a very soft voice.

Alfred stops with his hand on the doorknob. "I know. Maybe when you're feeling better you can join us in the other room. I'd like that."

Arthur says nothing else, and so he leaves.

He nearly has a heart attack when he walks right into Matthew, though. "Jeez, Matt," he hisses. "What are you? Lying in wait?"

"You shouldn't feed him alone, Alfred," Matthew chastises angrily.

"Why? You feed the others alone. You told me yourself they don't like to eat in front of everybody."

"Yes," Matthew begins testily, "When I have the choice, I give them that courtesy. But Arthur has proven consistently that he isn't capable of stopping himself."

"Yeah, because he's starving. You'd think I'd understand that, Matt." Alfred grumbles, pushing past him. "It's fine. I tell him to stop and he does."

"Really?" Matthew doesn't seem to believe it.

"Yes! I mean, sometimes I have to push his head away. But he stops! He does!"

"Alfred, please listen to reason. If he were to hurt you, it would compromise not only him, but us as well. You're very valuable to the cause. We can't have something stupid happen while you're helping him get his strength back."

"I thought you said vampires didn't suck people dry," Alfred grumbles moodily.

"Yeah, but starving ones can take enough to hurt you, Alfred. You're going to make him sick, by giving him so much anyway."

"I'm only feeding him as much as you told me to!"

"Yeah, for like 3 minutes. I'm not stupid, Al."

"You seriously need to quit following me around," Alfred mutters. "And how is that going to make him sick?"

Matthew sighs. "It wouldn't do any serious damage, alright? It would just make him nauseous and particularly unpleasant."

"Well, he would stop being hungry then!"

"No, he'll probably want you to feed him more, so he doesn't have to think about it. Can't you trust me, Al? I've been doing this way longer than you."

Alfred came to a halt just before the main cavern, crossing his arms irritably. "It's just hard, okay? He doesn't look any different than when I first met him. And he's obviously still hungry. I wish I had more blood to give."

Matthew's eyes soften. "I understand. I wish that, too. But I promise you, keep doing what you're doing and he'll get much better."

"If you say so," Alfred sighs, "I'm going to get some sleep. See you in the morning."

"Night, Al."

0 0 0

Early the next morning before anybody else wakes up, Alfred slips into Arthur's room. He isn't sure what makes him do it. Call it a morbid curiosity; to get so close to a vampire. As far as vampire sleep schedules, he's learned that they're a lot like cats, especially when cooped up with nothing to do; they sleep all the time. Emil and Lukas aren't particularly alert, but as he expects Arthur's eyes flick open to meet him in the dark.

"Alfred?" He asks in confusion.

"Yeah," Alfred creeps forward. "Mind if I sit?"

"No, I was just sleeping." Arthur eases himself to the side as Alfred fumbles his way towards the bed in the dark, cursing when he stubs his toe.

Arthur snickers distantly.

"What are you laughing at?" He grumbles, finally plopping down beside him.

"It's only amusing that humans can't see in the dark. I forget sometimes."

"Haha, higher intelligent species. I get it." Alfred reaches out to touch Arthur's hair, nearly putting a finger up his nose. "Whoops, sorry. Damn, why do you keep it so dark in here?"

"It's calmer this way," Arthur murmurs. His cool hand catches Alfred's wrist and holds it still. "Why do you touch me so much?"

Alfred blushes in the dark, feeling a rush of embarrassment. "I don't know. Your hair is soft, jeez."

"And disgusting, I expect. At least _you_ still smell nice," Arthur murmurs forlornly. Alfred jolts when he feels the cool tip of Arthur's nose against his palm, inhaling.

"How long has it been since you've had a shower?"

"Two weeks. But a proper shower? Probably ten years."

"It sure sucks being a refugee doesn't it?"

Arthur harrumphs, slowly letting go of his hand. "That's such an interesting thing to call us."

"What? Refugee?"

"Certainly."

"Well, I know there was a time in history, be it brief, where humans coexisted with vampires. Now, the whole world's turned against you. I reckon that makes you a refugee."

"A refugee in the sewers. Sometimes death is really preferable to immortality."

"So you do live forever?" Alfred asks curiously. He's having a difficult time separating the myths from the facts.

"Not so much as there are very few ways to kill us. As it so happens, taking away the blood is a very excruciating, very drawn out process of doing just that. Beheading also works as you've seen on the news. Stabbing through the heart is less effective as we have no working circulatory system. But it does hurt like hell. I wouldn't recommend it."

Alfred chuckles a little bit. "So beheadings and starving to death are the only ways to kill you guys?"

"Sickness takes its toll as well. Though by itself it wouldn't harm so much. Coupled with starvation it becomes quite the task to resist."

"Hhmm," Alfred frowns. "But you don't age do you?"

"Not physically, no." Arthur sighs. "It's what used to give us away before all these fancy gadgets."

"That and the teeth," Alfred murmurs, clicking his own teeth together in the dark.

"I have long since mastered the art of talking without moving my lips."

"Aren't you talented?" Alfred chuckles. He reaches to begin unwrapping the bandage around his left arm. Arthur hears the rustle of it and his glowing eyes search Alfred's curiously.

"What are you doing?"

"Did you want to feed again without Matthew being a bitchass?"

"Oh, so you're going to defy him. Yes, I heard your little argument out there. I still hold to what I said before."

"And what was that?" Alfred frowns.

"He can fuck off."

Alfred chuckles. "You're cold, Kirkland."

"I'm starving too." Arthur's freezing fingers enclose his arm surprisingly gently. "It's strange. I haven't ever wanted blood so badly as I do now." He gives the sensitive skin a few strokes, massaging lightly at the place he plans to enter. Alfred can't see him, but he feels the pinch of his fangs. In his head, he begins counting the seconds again. When two minutes have gone by, he shakes Arthur away, only allowing him to lick for a little while, before he tightens up the bandage again.

A lot of shifting happens by his side and he knows that Arthur has laid down again. Alfred honestly feels like laying down right with him. All this blood giving is exhausting him on a whole new level. He decides to do some research on the human body's ability to reproduce blood cells. Maybe he needs to eat some more protein or something.

He reaches out and this time his hand connects with Arthur's feathery head. It shocks him when he hears Arthur give off a low rumble, the sound reverberating through his skull under Alfred's palm.

"Get some sleep," he whispers. As an afterthought he murmurs, "And at my place you can take a real shower."

Arthur rumbles even louder this time, making him laugh.

"I'll come back later," he promises, ducking out into the hall smiling.

0 0 0

"You're awfully perky this morning," Francis notes, looking rather bedraggled himself. The rest of the crew still aren't awake yet. Alfred supposes if there is one luxury they can afford it's sleeping-in in the mornings.

"Yeah, I was just chatting with Arthur," Alfred yawns, fishing himself up a pillow and sprawling by the fire.

"You're the first person that's said chatting with Arthur can make them perky." Francis sinks to sit beside him, sniffing the air carefully. "You were feeding him again."

"So?" Alfred grumbles defensively.

"Nothing," Francis holds up his hands. "He is your responsibility. Matthew would not be very happy to hear of it."

"Matthew can shut his piehole about it."

"You and Arthur seem to be of the same opinion, then."

Alfred only grunts.

Not too long later, Matthew joins them, his eyes still crusted with sleep. He rolls up his sleeve, murmuring a good morning to Francis and pecking him on the cheek. Francis takes his arm and rubs at a certain spot for a minute before sinking his teeth in.

"Why does he do that?" Alfred asks, recognizing it from when Arthur had done it to him.

"Make it a little numb, I think," Matthew yawns. "Also gets the vein to the surface of the skin."

"Oh."

"It doesn't hurt as much this way," Francis licks the blood from his lips, taking the bandage from Matthew and doing it up himself. "I wouldn't bother otherwise. I can certainly find the vein on my own."

Matthew elbows him, rolling his eyes.

"When are you planning on feeding Arthur, Al?" He asks, setting up a pan over the fire to make breakfast.

"Later tonight. You wanna come with?"

"I was going to whether you invited me or not."

Alfred rolls his eyes. "Fine." Over Matthew's shoulder, he can see Francis watching him silently. But the vampire says nothing and Alfred enjoys Matthew's scrambled eggs in peace.

0 0 0

"Oh, Matthew, _you're_ here," Arthur says, not bothering to hide the distaste in his voice. Alfred has to bite on his jacket sleeve to keep from laughing.

"Yes, I'm here until you can control yourself." Matthew leans down to flick on the final lantern, showering them in light. "Go on, Alfred. Get it over with."

Arthur's eyes widen slightly and Alfred gives him the subtlest wink. Two feedings in one day, who would have imagined. Lukas and Emil look on silently and Alfred wonders if they know.

He holds out his hands for Alfred's arm, seeing him in the light makes Alfred nearly feel sick. Every other time, he's fed Arthur in the dark or by the light of one of the lanterns on the floor. Matthew always insists on lighting up the whole damn room. Arthur's fingers are basically only bones and his baggy t-shirt gaps in such a way that leaves little to the imagination. The head hole slips down low enough to show the way Arthur's chest has caved in in places. His skin seems to have shrunk upon him.

Arthur's brows furrow in confusion, with his thumb pressed on the vein. At first, Alfred doesn't understand why, until he realizes that his pulse is racing.

"Is this okay?" Arthur asks, licking his lips. His eyes start to gain that animal hunger that he so carefully holds back.

"Yes, yes, go on." Alfred says impatiently, wishing Matthew would turn the lights off so that he doesn't have to look at the emaciated vampire before him. Arthur's eyebrows furrow curiously at him like he doesn't understand, but his hunger gets the better of him and he begins to feed.

Alfred thinks about petting his head like he usually does, but instead he only sits stiffly. And when it's been a minute, Matthew pulls them apart. It's a good thing too. The room swims before Alfred like he's out at sea. He tries not to let Matthew onto it, leaning heavily against the headboard.

After Arthur has cleaned the blood from his lips, he looks worriedly at Alfred. "You're pale," he says.

"I'm not." Alfred argues, but he's already drawn Matthew's attention to it.

"Alfred, are you feeling okay?" Matthew says quickly. "Here lay on the floor. I'll elevate your feet."

"I'm fi- Alfred starts to say, but then his whole world blinks out. Perhaps two feedings isn't a great idea for _him._ When he wakes to Francis's smirking face in one of the main beds out in the cavern, he knows that's why Francis hadn't said anything before.

"Shut up," he growls, rolling onto his side.

"I didn't say anything," Francis chuckles darkly. "You only have the cutest expression wh-

"I really don't want to hear it, Francis."

"Of course, you don't." Francis's smirk widens. "Still, it is valiant of you to try so hard for him."

"Valiant?" Alfred raises his eyebrows incredulously. "What do you mean by-

"Hush," Francis quiets him, putting his hand to his ear theatrically, before delivering the darkest smirk yet. "Speak of the devil."

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Yao's exasperated voice echoes over to them. "You are in no fit state to be walking around."

"Don't touch me," Arthur's snarl rips along the walls of the cavern. "I have a reason to be concerned about him and bloody dragging him away before I even get to see is hardly going to appease me!"

"I don't see why you should be appeased when you're part of the problem," Mathias's sharp voice carries as well. "He's fine. Now, let's get you back in bed, Arthur."

"I said: _Don't touch me!_ " Arthur's ferocious howl reverberates like a drum throughout the room. "You'll let me see him or I will bite you, you bloody fool. You heard me! _Let. Me. Go._ "

Matthew comes rushing in from some other area of the room, holding out his hands. "Alright, Arthur, he's fine. He's over there with Francis. He only got a bit dizzy and passed out. There's no permanent damage."

Alfred finally glances over there between his fingers. As soon as he'd heard Arthur's voice, he'd dropped his head to the pillow. He hadn't really wanted to look and as he does another wave of nausea flows through him. To see Arthur barely able to stand, swatting them all away. His arms are like toothpicks. His shirt and trousers seem to swallow him whole.

Matthew finally stops trying to assist him, pointing towards Alfred's bed in resignation. He bites his lips as Arthur makes his agonizing way forward. Alfred can't look at him anymore and covers his eyes. He hears Arthur's ragged breathing above him eventually, but still he can't look. He feels like a child again, but he refuses to lower the blanket.

He jolts when he feels a hand in his hair and then the whisper of Arthur's sour, blood-smelling breath. The cool tip of his nose presses to Alfred's forehead and he breathes deeply. "You're okay," he says, sounding so relieved that Alfred doesn't know what to think.

 _Go away_ , he pleads in his mind. _I can't look at you in the light._

"Alfred," he whispers raggedly and Alfred flinches, slowly lowering the blanket. This close the smell of Arthur's breath makes him want to puke, but he can see all the different strains of green in his eyes. "Don't be cross with me," Arthur begs softly. His thick brows furrow together earnestly. "I won't trick you like that again. I won't take so much. Don't be cross."

Alfred's heart sinks straight to his toes, and all he can do is turn to the other side of the bed and vomit.

0 0 0

"Alfred, are you alright?" Matthew asks him around a quiet campfire later that night.

Alfred is staring hard at the center of it, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears. "How do you do it, Matt?" He whispers, though he has the uncanny feeling that everybody in the room can hear him. "I... I can't even look at him."

Matthew falls silent and then shifts nearer towards him. He puts an arm around his cousin's shoulders. "It's alright, Alfred. This is all very new to you."

Alfred just snorts, "I don't know what it is. I just feel like there's nothing I can do. I can't change the legislation. I can't... well, I can't do fucking anything! Goddamnit, Matt! People are dying! Why didn't you smack some sense into me before?"

Matthew smiles sadly at the ground. "It's already a great step forward that you feel this way, Alfred. Not many people have your capacity for empathy. But you can do something. In fact, you've been doing a great job of it."

"What's that?"Alfred grouses. "Being an ass?"

"No, taking care of Arthur. I think... having him come out here today reminded everybody of the things we've been trying to forget. Even Francis couldn't make a joke about it, and he's been doing it for years."

"I'm not doing a very good job," Alfred laughs bitterly. "Do you know he came out here and apologized to me? He apologized to me! For tricking me, of all things. For taking more than he should."

"Yes, Francis heard and he told me."

Alfred drops his head in his hands.

"But Al," Matthew shifts uncomfortably. "You've got to understand. No one's ever taken an interest in him like this. He's... He's frightened to lose that. He thinks he's driven you off."

Alfred groans, pulling at his hair in frustration. "It's not his damn fault he's starving!"

"I know that, Alfred. And so do you. But... when you feel better, you need to go talk to him. He's distressed. Francis is sitting with him now."

"I can't talk with him, Matthew," Alfred snorts. "If I see him again, I'll throw up."

"That's not a very nice thing to-

"No, it isn't," Alfred agrees icily. "But it's true. You've already bore witness to the fact."

"Alfred, I think that's because you've lost so much blood."

"No, that's not it." Alfred groans. "It's not."

"Well, what do you want to do?" Matthew asks, frustration beginning to edge into his tone.

"Can't one of you guys feed him for awhile? I'll take over some of yours. I can't see him right now. Not the way he is. When he's healthier, I'll go."

Matthew sighs heavily. "Alfred, you don't have to talk to him tonight. But I'm not taking over your job. You chose him and you agreed to this. You're going to keep feeding him."

"Well, what if I fucking don't want to anymore?" Alfred jumps up suddenly, his heart beating wildly. "You can't make me do things, Matthew. Fuck off." He whirls around and stalks away, pushing through vampires angrily as he heads for a bed in the corner. Matthew doesn't understand. He can't understand how helpless Alfred feels. He can't. It almost doesn't matter whether he helps Arthur or not.

0 0 0

He can't sleep. Early in the morning, he lies on his back listening to the deep breathing of those around him. After awhile, he carefully edges to his feet and slips on his boots. With silent feet, he makes his way to the sick room, pausing at the door. It surprises him to see a light under the crack. They usually turn it off at night. But then he hears a quiet hitching sound that stops his heart. He doesn't move, holding his breath.

Francis's soft voice carries through the wood. "Now, Arthur, really, you're quite ugly when you hold that expression."

"Fuck off," Arthur hisses with a large measure of vitriol, though his breathing hitches again. "I know well enough my effect on people. He took one look at me and he puked. He wouldn't even look at first! I ruin everything," He whispers bitterly. "I deserve to die here in this shithole."

"He was only nauseated from the blood loss. I've already explained that, Arthur," Francis murmurs tiredly. "It wasn't your ugly mug this time."

"Then why hasn't he come?" Arthur demands in a high voice, and Alfred's hand wavers on the doorknob.

"He will." Francis sighs overdramatically. "God knows why, but he will."

It takes what feels like a century for Alfred to gather the courage to turn the doorknob. When he does the occupants of the room fall immediately silent, their sharp ears catching the noise. He pushes it open, fumbling with the edge of his pajama shirt.

Arthur is sitting in bed again. His sunken eyes are red and bloodshot. His skin is blotchy. He looks miserable and Alfred feels his gut pitch. He can't seem to do anything right. Now, he's making the dying man feel guilty.

"Arthur," he begins willing his eyes not to trail downwards to the emaciated torso and the skeletal fingers. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Arthur doesn't seem to know how to react at first, opening and closing his mouth. Francis gives them both a bright smile. "Well, mon amis, I'm going to bed now that everything seems to have worked out just as I said it would. Arthur, you and Matthew worry too much." He exits without further ado, leaving them alone.

Alfred hesitantly creeps forward to sit on the edge of the bed. He gathers his courage and then gently takes Arthur's cool hand in his. "I'm not cross with you," he promises, meeting Arthur's tired eyes. "It's not your fault at all."

"But I knew this could have happened," Arthur starts immediately. "I was taking a lot from you, and you're not used to it. I should have known to stop. It's my fault."

"Arthur, you're starving," Alfred laughs in exasperation. "I'm not going to blame you. Of course, you're not being reasonable. Jeez." He chuckles again. "You look exhausted. You need to get some sleep."

Arthur looks like he's about to argue, but then he gives in and settles down on his side. Alfred flips the lamp off.

"Alfred?" He whispers, before Alfred can flee the room.

"What?"

"You still want me to come to your house?"

Alfred smiles tiredly at his glowing eyes. "Where else are you going to take a proper shower? You need it, jeez."

"Then, why do you always leave so quickly?"

Alfred bites his lip, unable to explain. "Do you want me to stay?"

The words hang in the air for many minutes. "No, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you like that. I'm sorry for-

Alfred stumbles forward, finding the edge of Arthur's bed with his hands and sinking to sit again. "You're not an inconvenience," he promises, looking straight at his glowing eyes. "And frankly, I'd rather sit in here, anyway. It's getting drafty out there."

He hears Arthur give a soft sigh. "So I've got leukemia and I'm from Manchester. How did you meet me?"

"Oooo." Alfred leans his head back, considering. "Let's make it something good."

"It has to be believable."

"Yeah, yeah," Alfred waves his hand dismissively. "Why did you come to America again?"

"I wanted to see the town?" Arthur says doubtfully.

Alfred snorts. "No, that's no good. There's like nothing around here."

"I wanted to see you and the town?"

"Okay," Alfred nods. "But why are you living with me? That's kind of a big deal."

He hears Arthur shift and feels his cool face near his hand on the bed. "Well, it would make sense to say a job or something, but I can't work. So..."

"So what?"

"So," Arthur says again, sounding almost embarrassed. "what kinds of people move countries to live together?"

"Oh." Alfred winces. "So I'm gay for you now, is that what you're saying?"

"God, if you say it like that, I might just change my mind."

Alfred smiles at his teasing tone. "Shut up. You're getting your own room out of this. Don't ruin it."

"Oh, it had slipped my mind," Arthur says through a yawn. "Maybe we can pretend to get married or something. No one would bother us then."

Alfred raises his eyebrows, unsure whether he is serious or not. "Would I have to buy the rings?"

"Yours can be a knock-off. But mine has to be real." Arthur says snarkily, and Alfred whacks him in the shoulder.

"Talk about killing the romance, Kirkland."

"Oh, we'll get our story straight at some point," Arthur says tiredly, settling deeper into the covers. "For now, just let me enjoy it."

Alfred thinks Arthur's last sentence holds more meaning than he understands, but he only brushes at Arthur's hair and murmurs, "Goodnight."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

 **Halloween is fast approaching. Hope you all have designed some spoopy plans, haha**

 **Here's chap 3. thanks for all your support, doze**

* * *

"I think my next objective will be to get everybody food besides hotdogs. Eternal campfire theme was cool for awhile, but I'm about to barf." Alfred concludes, chewing on the black rubbery skin of his burnt specimen.

"Oh, it comes back around," Mathias promises through a mouthful.

"And then back around again," Yao mutters, picking at his hotdog much like Alfred.

Alfred gives them both tired smiles. "Matthew's going aboveground today. I'm going with him. Any requests?"

"Noodles." Yao says seriously.

"Water bottles, pleeease." Mathias adds. "Oh, and some Oreos would be great."

Alfred grins, "Done. I'll bring you guys some Spearmint too, cuz no offense, but seriously."

"None taken," Mathias shrugs carelessly, going for another hot dog. "Matthew doesn't usually allow us to get extra stuff, since we don't have all that much money."

Alfred shrugs, "I've got my own money. And a job. Well, I had a job. I'm on leave right now."

"Aren't we all?" Yao throws the rest of his hotdog in the fire.

"You're taking requests?" Francis's soft voice makes Alfred jump.

"Uh, sure. Is there something you want?" He hadn't even thought to ask the vampires.

"Yes, here. It is very important that you get these things for me. Please use discretion around, Matthew. I wouldn't want him to see." He flashes his teeth persuasively and Alfred glances down at the small handwritten list pressed quickly into his palm.

"Oh." He says and his face goes red.

Francis ruffles his hair, "That's a good human boy."

"Alfred!" Matthew's impatient voice echoes near one of the tunnel entrances. "You need to feed Arthur before we leave. We won't be returning tonight."

"Right," Alfred gives him a thumbs up and jogs to join him. However, Matthew is quickly distracted by giving a hug to Francis, so Alfred leaves them behind, rolling his eyes. Arthur may have the monopoly on the sick jokes, but Francis and Matthew should have the monopoly on another kind of joke.

He knocks crisply, sticking his head into the dimly lit room. "Arthur?"

"I'm awake," Arthur's silky voice echoes out of the silence.

"You're loud enough in the hallway to wake the whole city," grumbles Lukas.

"Sorry," Alfred chuckles. With only one lantern on, he can just see the sharp curve of Arthur's face and the contorted shadows made by his thin body on the wall. He comes to sit on the bed, smiling. "Sleep okay?"

"Fine," Arthur murmurs. "You're going aboveground today."

"That's right," Alfred says cheerily. He rolls up his sleeve. "So you get to eat early today."

Arthur glances at his exposed skin reluctantly. "I think I'm fine for right now."

Alfred blinks in bewilderment. Arthur has never turned down a meal before. "Come on, Arthur," He coaxes. "You'll feel better for it."

"But _you_ won't." Arthur says almost miserably. Almost miserably, because Alfred has a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that a vampire might reciprocate his concern.

Alfred pretends to scoff. "Don't tell me you're going soft, Kirkland."

Arthur growls at him, smoothing petulantly at his rumpled t-shirt.

Alfred sighs. "My body regenerates blood, Arthur. It's the way humans are."

Arthur continues to look the other direction, so Alfred pulls a card he learned from Matthew. He wrestles in his pocket for his old switchblade and then carefully nicks the skin of his forearm. A growing bubble of red blossoms on his arm, giving way to a steady rivulet that travels towards his wrist.

When he looks back up, Arthur's eyes are narrowed and glaring at him.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tempt me." He says, though his gaze wavers tracing the slick red path it makes on Alfred's arm.

"I wouldn't have to do this if you would just be reasonable."

Arthur groans, reaching suddenly forward and snatching his arm. Alfred is shocked by his reflexes. Arthur is one of the only vampires who has moved slowly thus far. Sometimes he forgets that Arthur possesses the same inhuman speed as the rest of them. Arthur isn't gentle as he plunges his fangs in this time. Perhaps he wants to hurt, out of spite.

Alfred can handle that. He begins counting the seconds in his head, combing Arthur's hair as he drinks. Once again, Alfred thinks about how Arthur is a particularly noisy drinker. All of the other vampires are soundless. Francis even manages to convey a certain amount of grace. But Arthur smacks and gargles and kneads his head forward, trying to get the most out of his minute. For all he can hold himself back, when he gets to drinking, he loses control. Alfred understands why Matthew was worried.

He lets him go for a minute and a half, before pushing him away. By that time, Matthew has entered the room and is watching disapprovingly as Arthur continues to lap at the dripping, welling blood on Alfred's arm. Rather than have Matthew man-handle them again, Alfred uses his old trick, smearing blood on his hand and shoving Arthur's head that direction so he can bandage the wound.

When that's all gone and Alfred has finished tying the bandage, Arthur watches him expectantly. He holds out his other bloodied hand and Arthur licks that clean as well. "Is there some in my hair?" He asks, actually sounding like he wishes there was.

"You're clean." Alfred chuckles and Arthur flops down on his side with a sigh. "So I'm going aboveground. Do you have any requests?"

"Requests?" Arthur murmurs.

"Anything you want that I can bring you?"

"Oh." Arthur watches Alfred's hands. "I don't know."

"Come on," Alfred smiles teasingly. "There's nothing you'd want? There's got to be something."

Arthur shrugs, looking embarrassed.

"Alfred, we've got to get going," Matthew cuts in.

"If you don't tell me something, then it's going to be a surprise." Alfred says, allowing Matthew to drag him to his feet.

"Maybe... s-some tea, then." Arthur says softly, surprising Matthew enough to make him stop tugging Alfred.

"Tea, it is." Alfred grins, turning for the door on his own. "I'll see you tomorrow, Arthur. Come on, Matthew. I thought you said we had to leave. Stop dilly-dallying."

"How do you do that?" Matthew asks him incredulously once they're on their way up.

"Do what?" Alfred asks, straightening his trenchcoat and checking to make sure he hadn't forgotten his wallet.

"Get him to open up to you like that."

"Who? Arthur?"

"Yeah."

" _Is_ he opening up to me?" Alfred asks with a half-smile. "Because if so, I'm missing it."

Matthew only shakes his head. "Come on. There are several places we have to go."

"Awesome," Alfred grins, looking forward to getting out of these gunky tunnels.

After much maneuvering, Matthew leads him out into a drain, skirting the woods. The sky overhead is littered with ominous thunderheads and the air crackles with electricity. A harsh wind causes the leaves to whisper and sends Alfred's trenchcoat billowing behind him. As they round the corner of the drain, Matthew surveys the abandoned country road before them.

"How far to Devil's Gap?" Alfred asks, fingering the shooter at his side, apprehensively.

"About three miles. We better get going. I don't like the look of things around here. It's too quiet." Matthew leads the way, kicking up gravel with his heavy boots.

Alfred troops along with his head low, trying to block out the chilly wind. In his head, he runs through his list of groceries that he got from the others. A sudden thought occurs to him. "Vampires can have human food?"

Matthew gives him a dangerous look.

Alfred rolls his eyes. "There's no one out here, Matt. What? Do you expect the trees to tell on us?"

"You can never be too careful." Matthew grumbles, surveying the hilly landscape distrustfully. "Come closer and we can talk."

Alfred jogs to catch up with him, lowering his voice. "Well, can they?"

"Of course they _can."_ Matthew mutters. "They were human once, Alfred. They've still got the necessary organs."

"That's strange." Alfred wrinkles his nose. "Do they like it?"

"Not particularly as far as I've seen. It doesn't actually satisfy them. If it did, I don't think being a vampire in today's society would really be an issue, now would it?"

"Why did Arthur ask me for tea then and Francis for, uh, some other things?"

Matthew raises his eyebrows, but doesn't ask. "I'm not sure why exactly. I know that there are certain things that they still retain a liking for from when they were human. They can still taste things. The thought of eating is unappetizing, but tasting is still enjoyable."

"That's interesting."

"Plus, drinking is probably a bit different. I'm not sure how it's possible, but vampires can get drunk. And enjoy doing so, though not quite as much as humans I would say. It isn't that strange that Arthur would like tea. He probably hasn't had some in ages."

"Hmm." Alfred nods. "So you think they would like gum? Cuz you don't have to swallow it, just taste it."

"Shut up, Alfred."

"Hey, don't be rude. I've just noticed that some of their breaths smell like rotting-

"Shut up." Matthew's eyes are hard and serious. He stops Alfred from moving with a warning hand. Alfred falls silent, looking about warily. Then, he hears it. The faint moan of sirens.

Matthew grabs his arm, shoving him into the knee-length grass, not a moment too late. Rifle shots blast around them, screaming around the hills. Alfred knows exactly what this is and his stomach sinks straight to his feet. He meets Matthew's eyes fearfully.

"They've found a vampire, Matt," He says.

"Don't move." Matthew mutters. "You know the protocol for humans in a red zone. If you don't want to get shot, stay down."

"But Matthew, they're going to take it out."

"I'm aware." Matthew says coldly.

Alfred swallows. When he was a kid and got stuck in red zones, he had always thought it was wicked badass. Sometimes, the hunters would even let him see the corpse up close, before they took it in for testing. Once they had executed on premises. Holding the head up for the small crowd. He remembers cheering like it was a parade.

"Matthew," he hisses. "We can't just do nothing!"

"We can. And we will."

"But, Matt, it'll be-

"I know." Matthew snaps. "We can't save everybody, Alfred."

Alfred falls gloomily silent. It's very possible that this vampire was looking for _them._ Their sanctuary is the nearest to Devil's Gap and the only safe place for hundreds of miles of wide open country. Wide open hunting fields.

"Matthew," He hisses. "What if he leads them to our hideout?"

"That isn't possible," says Matthew grimly. "We wouldn't let him in."

"Yeah, but he could just-

"He couldn't, Alfred. It's a secret tunnel, with a secret door, that we can open. Anybody can walk down in the sewer, but not anybody can open the door. Or find it for that matter."

"But-

"Shut up." Matthew waves him quiet, listening earnestly.

In the distance, Alfred hears the crack of the rifle and a screech. The sirens lift and Alfred starts to get to his feet. Matthew makes to pull him down, but it's too late. The patrol car spots them as it whizzes by and comes to a halt not that far down the road.

"Fucking shit," Matthew grouses, shoving Alfred in the shoulder. "Will you ever just follow my lead?"

"That's not my style." Alfred gives him an apologetic smile and they wait until one of the officers meets them in the grass.

"What are you boys doing way out here?" He says, removing his cap and scratching his head. Alfred recognizes the Hunting Division insignia on it. Over his shoulder is a black air rifle and at his hip a regular stunner. Alfred's eyes flitter over the cartridge case of the rifle. It's a fast-acting tranquilizer model. They weren't going for the kill.

"I was collecting sap samples from some of the deciduous trees in the area for my work," Matthew says so nonchalantly it throws Alfred completely for a loop. "My lab assistant completely botched our collection though. Completely panicked when he heard the sirens. You did catch it, didn't you? We were told this would be a safe area to perform our observations."

The officer is already looking bored. "Yeah, we got 'em contained. You should be smarter, though. No area is safe from those creatures. You fellas got a car?"

"No, we walked since it was such a nice day."

Alfred can't help but look doubtfully at the sky. The officer does too, before just shaking his head. "Come on then. We'll give you a ride into town. This place is about to be roped off anyway."

"Roped off?" Alfred blurts. Only high risk areas are "roped off" or declared news wide red zones.

"Now you're afraid. Don't worry, boy. We can handle our Draculas. We'll just be escorting you out. Come on."

Matthew gives him a look, but they both follow the officer back to a black heavy duty van. Alfred recognizes it as a containment vehicle. As he and Matthew slip into the backseat, he carefully peers over his shoulder through the metal caging. A sickened looking vampire is crumpled on the floor, a tranquilizer dart sticking out his neck. They've tied his hands and his feet. Alfred has never seen a more disgusting vampire. It looks like it has mange. The whole left side of its face is torn open and curdled like old cottage cheese. It smells quite similar. Alfred has to hold his nose to keep from retching.

Matthew is staring grimly at his crossed hands.

Perhaps the saddest thing about it is to see the rise and fall of the creature's chest. The two officers in the front chat amiably, answering calls over the radio and establishing perimeters like making dinner plans. Alfred can't keep his eyes off the vampire. Matthew elbows him, to get him to turn around at least five times.

But at one point, Alfred's breath catches to see a pair of brilliant green eyes flicker open through the grime. Green eyes. Oh damn his weakness for green eyes. They aren't like Arthur's eyes. They're more olive and milky, but his thoughts immediately jump back to Arthur starving in a bed somewhere underground.

"Matthew," he hisses, but Matthew pretends not to hear. He's not going to be any help, but surely he realizes that as soon as they get into Devil's Gap this vampire is a goner. Alfred glances out at the deserted area around them, slipping his hands into his jacket to feel the concealed butts of his guns, one on each hip. Matthew had been right about his AO5 license to carry. He's been holding firearms since he could walk. It wouldn't do for the son of the head of HD to not be able to protect himself. And those he cares about.

Alfred slowly draws both weapons. Matthew's eyes grow to be the size of saucers and he starts to shake his head like it's on a spring. But it's too late.

Alfred levels the guns with the backs of their heads and pulls the triggers. As the van starts to careen off the road, Matthew leaps forward to pull the emergency brake. "Fuck, Alfred! What the fuck are you doing?" He explodes.

"They're stunners, Matthew. Calm down." he says coolly. "We've got about five minutes until the perimeter people realize they've been compromised. Come on." He swings himself out of the van, throwing open the driver's side door and rifling through the officers pocket.

Matthew looks like he has quite a bit more to say, but he catches the keys Alfred throws at him and hurries to open the back door. Alfred stays where he is, carefully patting down the officer until he finds what he's looking for in an inner pocket. A small pouch of black pills and a hand grenade like object.

"Did you get him out?" Alfred calls.

"Yeah," Matthew is panting heavily under the vampire's weight. He drapes him carefully on the ground.

"Toss me the keys."

Alfred catches them and tucks them carefully back into the officer's pocket where he had found them. "Shut the van doors, Mattie." Then, he turns and pats the officer's breast pocket. "I'm really sorry about this fellas." He yanks the pin out of the grenade, tossing it into the cupholder and slamming the door.

The noxious green gas curls up immediately, obscuring their faces and powdering the whole van. Once Alfred is certain they've breathed in enough, he barks at Matthew to move the vampire and swings the van doors open. Using his switchblade, he dents the back door lock a little bit. "Cut off his ropes. Quickly!" He orders Matthew. "Throw them on the ground near the doors. It'll look like an escape."

Matthew scurries to follow his orders. After that they both throw one of the vampire's arms over their shoulders. "Take this," Alfred pants, shoving one of the black pills towards Matthew.

"What is it?"

"The dogs won't be able to trace us. It makes us smell like vampires."

Matthew stares at him in bewilderment.

"Just trust me." Alfred pants, "Humans take them to mask their scents from vampires when they're chasing. It doesn't completely obscure, but it makes it harder for them to scent us. But nasty side effect, it makes us smell like nothing to police dogs. You know, since police dogs can't track vampires."

"What other odd bits of trivia are you saving for moments like these?" Matthew growls, downing the pill without contest.

They make their way as fast as possible, half-dragging, half-carrying the lucid vampire. They don't dare stop to take a breath, even when their arms burn and their eyes water from the horrible stench of rotting skin. When they reach the entrance to the tunnel, only then do they pause.

The vampire is shifting, green eyes slatting open again, peering at them. It happens so fast that Alfred doesn't have time to react. The vampire's overgrown nails slash across his face like a cat's claws, ripping giant gashes through the soft skin.

"Alfred!" Matthew shouts, whipping out his gun and turning it on the vampire. "Stop. We're helping you. We helped you escape."

The vampire's wary eyes flitter over to Matthew, while Alfred holds his face and searches for his gun. They should've stunned the vampire first, damn it.

"You're looking for sanctuary, aren't you?" Alfred asks point blank, unable to help slurring. It feels like the right side of his face is on fire. "Well, we know where it is and if you don't want it, get lost. I don't have time for this."

"You know where it is?" The vampire stares at him in exhaustion.

Alfred slowly lowers his gun. "It's in there. We'll show you."

Matthew leads the way, while Alfred keeps his gun at hand. Not wanting to get slashed again. Who knew they could grow their nails out like claws? Matthew opens the door for them and they just barely get into the main cavern before the others surround them, having heard the sirens and then the commotion just outside the tunnel.

Matthew begins to explain, but Yao grabs a hold of Alfred, forcing him to remove the hand from his face.

Feliciano shrieks a little and Lovino curses at him fiercely, but all the same surveys Alfred's cheek warily.

"Wha?" Alfred demands.

Matthew cuts off mid-sentence, his eyes bulging.

Mathias just wrinkles his nose. "That is knarly, man. Can you do anything about that, Yao?"

"What? What's going on?" Alfred glares at the lot.

"Your cheek muscle," Feli whispers.

"It's cut in two," Francis finishes with a delicate frown.

Alfred reaches to touch again and this time he feels a weird stringy sliminess that sends his stomach rolling. "Fuck!"

"I can patch that up. Come on. Matthew can handle this." Yao begins tugging him away. They don't get far though. "Would you all go back to your rooms!" Yao shouts. "Emil, Lukas, you're in no fit state to- Fucking christ, get back in bed, Arthur! We've had a discussion about this." The younger two ignore him, ducking past to marvel at the new arrival. Arthur, however, stops short leaning heavily against the wall. His pupils dilate when he smells Alfred's blood.

"Arthur," Yao begins warningly.

"What happened?" Arthur demands, his eyes on Alfred.

"Found a vampire. He slashed me. All in a day's work," Alfred wheezes, wishing he couldn't feel his muscle under his palm.

Arthur's eyes narrow and Yao mutters, "Oh now you've really done it, boy." And then louder. "Arthur, get back in bed. I won't tell you twice. Alfred has a stun gun and I will use it and drag your sorry ass all the way back to bed, if you don't listen."

Arthur hesitates. His dangerous eyes flicker over the scene behind them, before he turns suddenly and begins shuffling back to his room. "Bring him back here. It's quieter."

Yao pushes him onto Lukas's bed and begins the work of sterilizing the wound. Arthur wrinkles his nose at the antiseptic smell, perched with his arms around his knees in his own bed. Alfred flinches when he sees Yao pull out the needle. Looking for something to distract himself from the painful enterprise, he notices how bloody his hand is. Without even thinking, he holds it out to Arthur.

"I think that can wait, Alfred," Yao says as he threads the needle and begins carefully aligning it. Alfred ignores him, watching Arthur. There's a strange look in Arthur's green eyes, but he only sets his chin on his knees and doesn't move.

As Yao pushes the needle in, Alfred gasps. His eyes water up immediately, and Yao warns him to hold still.

Nonetheless, Alfred nearly cries as Yao carefully sews the torn muscle together. There simply is no comfortable way to do this. He feels something cold in his fist and he clutches it as tightly as he can. 20 agonizing minutes later Yao has the muscle and the skin stitched neatly back in place. He dabs carefully with antiseptic.

Alfred looks down to see that Arthur had given him his hand to squeeze. "Thanks, man," he breathes, slowly letting go. "That was really helpful."

Arthur nods quietly, pulling his knees back up against his chest and resting his chin there. His expression is unreadable. Yao is looking at him with a measuring expression. "I'm going to return to the main room. I think it would be best if you two stayed here."

Alfred is too worn out to complain and waves him away. He doesn't think he'll be able to talk for a month now. His jaw is pulsing like hell.

After a moment, he gets up and sits beside Arthur on the bed. He wants to express his gratitude. Arthur is sick, but he stayed here and watched without any problems with the blood. Alfred closes his eyes thinking of the mangy vampire they'd managed to rescue. He shudders to imagine Arthur out there. He can barely stand right now. His body is so stripped of muscle and fat.

When Alfred opens his eyes, he sees Arthur looking at him. He can't quite manage a smile. "Sorry I didn't get your tea, yet," he whispers, moving his face as little as possible.

"That's okay," Arthur whispers. A sudden hardness creeps into his eyes. "The new vampire did that to you? When you were helping him?"

"Yes," Alfred looks at his hands. "He was disoriented though. He probably thought we were the captors."

Arthur only gives him a tepid growl.

Alfred chuckles. "How have you been feeling?"

"Better," Arthur says. "I don't look it; I know."

"Your eyes are brighter." Alfred murmurs. "But other than that..."

Arthur shifts uncomfortably. "I'm sick."

"When do you think you'll get better?" Alfred asks, feeling guilty when Arthur flinches.

"It might be awhile," He finally says, but he doesn't meet Alfred's eyes. Alfred wonder if there's something that Arthur isn't telling him.

"That's alright," Alfred reassures him. "Once you've gained some weight, you'll be in much better shape. At my place, you don't have to do anything. I'll keep the room just how you like it."

Arthur's startling green eyes flick up to meet his. "Why are you trying so hard for a vampire living in the sewer?"

Alfred shrugs. "Well, I think it's about time you got lucky, isn't it? This awful legislation has been getting everybody down, but I'd imagine ten years here would really take its toll." He hesitates, clenching and unclenching his fists. He's been trying his best not to stroke Arthur's hair as much. After Arthur had brought it up, he felt certain that it wasn't welcome. Strangely in moments like these he can't help but be tempted.

"I don't even remember what it looks like outside," Arthur whispers, staring at his palms.

Alfred watches him for a moment, before flopping backwards. "I've got some pictures of my place on my phone if you want to see. I think I have some pictures of the woods too."

Arthur slowly stretches out next to him, turning his chin to look. His breath whispers against Alfred's cheek, and he's certain that Arthur can hear the thrum of his pulse. Alfred flicks through the pictures, stopping whenever Arthur's cool fingers press against his arm. Arthur particularly likes the pictures of the woods in their autumn colors. His blonde hair tickles against Alfred's cheek as he shifts to get a better view.

"The view from the spare bedroom looks out over these woods," he tells Arthur. "You should see them in the winter, all covered in snow. It's beautiful."

"Winter is awful down here," Arthur murmurs. "It gets unbearably cold and there's certainly nothing to look at."

"I'll bet you're looking forward to heating then," Alfred traces the holey bedspread with his finger. "There's a thermostat in every room."

Arthur moans like it's the epitome of luxury.

Alfred drops his phone on his chest with a sigh. "I should let you sleep."

"I'm always sleeping," Arthur grumbles.

He laughs a bit, flinching as the stitches pull. "Well. You are sick."

"Not by choice."

Despite the pain, Alfred can't help laughing again, rolling onto his side to look down at Arthur. "You're a riot, Kirkland. I don't think anybody gets sick by choice."

"Well, vampires certainly don't. I don't know what goes on with the humans these days." Arthur's t-shirt has slipped up to show the hollowed curve of his stomach. Alfred tries his best not to look.

"I should probably go."

"Why? It's still busy out there. I can hear it." Arthur wrinkles his nose. "It's quiet for once. Stay with me."

"Well, I suppose Matthew isn't here to stick his nose into everything."

"Exactly."

"And Lukas and Emil aren't going to eavesdrop."

"See?"

Alfred forces himself not to smile and pull the stitches. "I will stay. If you do one thing for me."

"What?"

He holds out his bare forearm and Arthur looks at it warily.

"I already fed today, Alfred. Matthew-

"I thought we agreed not to listen to Matthew."

"Well, yes, but," Arthur kneads his fingers together. "I hurt you last time. I don't want to take more than I should."

Alfred rolls his eyes. "Arthur, you need more than they're letting me give you. Honestly, I'm still getting used to it, but the others give all the time. I promise I'll tell you if I start feeling like I'll pass out."

Arthur bites his lips. His fangs are wet with saliva so Alfred knows he is considering. "It wouldn't be very fair," he points out half-heartedly, running one of his fingers down Alfred's arm. "I'm already feeding more than anybody else. If they-

"It's none of their business what I decide to do with my blood," Alfred murmurs seriously. "Anyway, I'll recuperate with you afterwards."

Arthur's brow furrows, "What do you mean?"

"It means we're both taking a long nap after this because I'm beat. Deal?"

Arthur shakes his head, "All your deals with me are so clearly weighted in my favor."

"Deal?" Alfred presses.

Arthur snorts. "Of course, I would agree to deals like that."

"There's the Arthur I know," Alfred teases, allowing a small tear-inducing smile.

He lets Arthur feed for about two minutes and then wrestles him away to put the bandage on. It surprises him when Arthur takes the bandage from him and does it neatly himself. Much like Francis always does for Matthew. Hell, half the time Francis feeds on Matthew, Matthew isn't even paying a wit's worth of attention.

"Thanks," he whispers gratefully, amused when Arthur blushes.


End file.
